Footwear



LTIIZ@ May 28, i929.

E. H. cos'TELLow FOOTWEAR Filed March 27, 1928 lagig IIIII Patented ay L28, 1929.-

' l, E. eosrnnnow, or Paovrnnn'cn,

ODE ISLAND.

iguane RHODE IISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO PHLLIPS- FOOTWEAR.

Application medI March 27, 1928. Serial No. 265,021.

'lihis invention pertains to footwear andv more particularly to overshoes of waterproof or water-resistant type. Present-day fash-A ions demand the utmost of daintiness in footwear for womens use and every endeavor has vbeen made by the shoe manufacturer to refine ladies shoes and slippers, not only through the selection of soft and beautiful materials and through reduction of bulk and wcight,-\but also in design, and articularly, with the object of making the` oot a pear small and narrow and to emphasize t e curves of the instep and at the rear of the ankle, and makers of hosiery have also cre` ated new designs with similar objects in view. rlhe result of this general tendency has been to produce eirtremely low cut slipper-like shoes whose tops extend in a smooth and sweeping 'curve from near the toe upwardly and rearwardlyto the top of a low counter, this sweeping curve being accented by the use of a high and slender heel. With such shoes there are commonly worn stockin s, of silk or other sheer material, pro

vi ed at the heel and back of the ankle with a reinforced or other contrasting area which tapers upwardly to a point at the lower part of the calf of the leg, and tends to impart an appearance of slenderness and to accentuate the natural symmetry of the lower part of the leg when viewed from the rear.

On the other hand, makers of waterproof or water-resistant overshoes have made but little Isubstantial progress in developin a better and more pleasing roduct. p ost such footwear, whether of t e high or low Y Y cut cloth-top type, or the more usual rubber, is clumsy,'heavy, and decidedly unattractive in appearance. While the high ont 40 cloth overshoe gives adequate protection to the foot and lower part of the leg, its weight, the trouble of putting it on and takin it 0H, the constriction of the foot and a e, and the unpleasing appearance of this type of footwear preclude its general use exce t in extreme weather conditions. On t e other hand, the moreusualfrubber overshoe, while sometimes of reasonably light weight, and if provided with a storm front, giving e0 protection'to'the front or instepA of the foot,

1s usually cut square at the sides and back without an attempt to conform to the curvature of t e foot or shoe top anddoes not oier any 'substantial protection to the modate the high spool heels of modern I shoes, the bottom of such heel ocket is usually of the samematerial as t e rest ofthe overshoe sole. Since the bearing a'orded by the bottom of the spool heel is of small area,

the pressure per unit area is high, and. the edges and corners of the shoe heel quickly cut into the sole of the overshoe, resulting in rapid wear and the production of cracks `-nd leaks. l f

ln accordance with the resent invention, l have devised an overslioe which is so shaped as to protect the sole of the foot and the vrear part of the leg above the vshoe counter where spattering commonly occurs and which follows thecontour of the instep `arch with a smooth sweep upwardly to a peak at the rear, hugging the vfront and sides-of the foot closely, thus preserving the pleasing a pearance of the foot as imparted by the mo ern shoe and-stocking. This improved' overshoe may be very light in weight; .its top or upper is preferably of some soft, light, flexible, ornamental and water-resistant fabric; it is eas to slip onand take o it may be provide if desired, with a strap similar to that of a pump or like form of shoe; its rear part may, if desired, be turned down to simulate the flapper mode of wearing ordinary high top overshoes, and its heel ocket 1s so reinforced as to prevent cuttlng or rapid wear by the pressure of a spool or similar heel.

In the 'accompanying drawings, l have illustrated one desirable embodiment of m invention by way Aof example and in suc drawings,-

Fig. l is a perspective view of my im proved overshoe, removed from the foot, I

`with its spatter guard portion in upright or normal position; v Fig. 2 is a side elevation, to smaller scale of the same overshoe, showing its appearance upon the foot of a wearer;

Fig. 3 isa rearA elevation of the overshoe shown in Fig. 2;

Vthrong as is commonly employed in making M improved overshoe may, if desired, be who ly of rubber or rubberized fabric such rubbers,

and usual processes of making ru bers and lsimilar articles of footwear may be employed ir making the present overshoe, but while the entire top of the overshoe may be of rubber, I prefer to makevthe top of my improved overshoe of a water-resistant vfabric whose outer surface at least, and preferably, both inner and outer surfaces, are of textile fabrics, or at least have the appearance of such fabric. I have found that 1t is now possible to obtain such 'a water- ,resistant fabric of light weight and ot' very pleasing and attractive appearance and in almost any color which may be desired. In Fig. 7 I have illustrated such a fabric, comprising the middle layer R of rubber and the outer and inner layer T and T of textile fabric adhering to the inner layer R.

Whether the top be of rubber or awaterresistant, textile fabric', I provide a rubber sole 1 of usual construction, such sole bein rprovided with a deep heel pocket 2. Pre

erab y, in accordance with the present constri ction, the heel portion of the solecomprises the heavy rubber layer 3 and the usual lining layer 4 of textile fabric. Upon the' lining 4, within the heel pocket, I arrange a plate 5 of some hard and-relatively rigid material, for example, a piece of in'- durated fiber. This plate 5 may be secured to the underlying parts by means of a staple 6 or other suitable fastening means and when thus arranged the plate 5 protectsthe underlying parts from the pressure of a shoe heel and prevents the sharp edges of the shoe heel from cutting into the liningl 4 and causing rapid wear to the heel pocket. The forward portion 7 of the upper of my improved overshoe is preferably low cuty to conform to shoes of modern type and from a point 8, near the forward end of the shoe, the edge of the upper sweeps upwardly and rearwardly in a smooth curve 9 to a point 10, well above the usuall position of lthe top edge of the counter portion of the ordinary rubber. The' point 10 represents the apex or peak of a substantially triangular spatter guard portion 11, preferably integral with the up er of the overshoe although, if desired, ormed as a separate element and suitablyl attached to the main lowing the s atter guard portion o 'the' `calf of the leg so that in side elevation a shoe.

vbodylof` the overshoe top. Preferably, a'

narrow vstrap 12 `is secured to the rear of ylthe overshoe along a line which represents;

the base of the triangular guard portion.11,`I and this strap may be provided with a'buckle 13 or other desirable form of fastener elev ment adapted to secure the strap about thc angle of the wearer. As shown, substantially e ual portions of the strap depend from eac 1 side rof theupper, and when these ends are united by the buckle, the fastening may have somewhat the appearance of a-bow-knot. v

The overshoe thus provided presents a very pleasing and attractive appearance by reason of the low cut of the forward part of its top and the long, smooth and sweeping curve of its upper edge as it extends from the forward portion to the rear part of the overshoe. This sweeping curve is accentuated by'its extension to the peak 10 of the guard 1L and as clearly indicated in Fig. 2, the curves of the overshoe top merge into the curves of the instep of the foot and the most dainty and attractive appearance is produced. YMoreover, as shown in Fig. 3, the upwardly directed triangular portion 11 has a tendency to accentuate the slenderness of the ankle as viewed from the rear. Preferably, as shown in detail in Fig. 7, I introduce .a heavy elastic band or bind strip E 4,of' rubber between the outer andinner plies T and T of the upper material at the top edge of the upper, preferably extending the strip or band from the strap 12 at one side of the upper, down and around the forward part of the upper and to the strap 12 at the other side. This elastic strip causes the upper tohug the front and sides of the 'foot closely, but without interfering to any substantial extent with the donning or removal of the overshoe.

While the shape of the overshoe, as thus described, conduces to its pleasing appearance, this is incidental to its utilitarian advantages. As already referred to, wearers of the modern low cut shoes are constantly annoyed by the spattering of mud and dirty water upon the lower part ofthe stocking at the rear of ankle. By the provision of the guard device 11 on the present overshoe this sputtering is, to a large extent, avoided and the stocking is kept clean, although withoutv constricting and concealing .the forward portion of 'the foot which is not usually spattered in walking. This leaves the instep and front of 'the ankle, with the stocking fabric exposed to view, it leaves the foot and ankle free to flex, there is no heating of the foot as when the usual high top overshoe is worn, the improved overshoe may be slipped on ando' with little effort, and it' adds but little to the weight o5 bulk of the anais@ E;

While the guard 11 is primarily designed .to be worn in the upright position-indicated per mode of wearing overshoes unfastened and turned down. While giving somewhat the same effect as a down-turned overshoe, the present overshoe is not so clumsy or diiiicult to Walk in and the downturned portion` is not of sufficient size and length to drag in the mud of the street. l

I contemplate that it is within the scope of my invention to make the guard memberl 11 as a separate element attachable-at will to the overshoe top by any suitable type of fastening means, although Ibelieve it preferable to make this guard membe'r as a permanent part of the overshoe. I have herein shown a guard 11 of one desirable size and shape, but I Wish it to be understood that this guard may be made of greater or lesser dimensions as circumstances may warrant or the trade demand. Vhile I prefer to employ this guard 11 with an overshoe cut low at its front, such as here shown, it is possible to combine this feature as well as the elastic bind strip in an overshoe having a high or storm front, if desired, and I regard all such modifications as falling within the scope of my invention. l

I claim:

`1. An overshoe of the class described havling a waterproof sole and low cut upper of ble water-resistant material, said upper including a substantially triangular guard ilap tapering upwardly from the counter portion of the upper, 'the "top edge of the upper sweeping in a smooth curve from its forward part upwardly' to the top of said iiap, and a strap secured to the rear part of the upper adjacent to the base of said flap.

3. An overshoe of the class described comprising a waterproof sole having a deep pocket for the reception of a high shoe heel, a hard and wear-resistant plate forming the upper surface of said heel pocket, a low cut upper of flexible water-resistant textile fabric, said upper extending upwardly at the counter portion to form a substantially triangular protective Hap, and a strap embracing the upper at the base lof said flap.

4. An overshoe of the class described comprising a waterproof sole and a flexible top of water-resistant material, the edge of the top extending upwardly and rearwardly to provide a substantially pointed flap above the counter, and elastic means reinforcing and stiifening the upper edge of the upper and terminating below the flap whereby the latter is supported but may be readily turned downwardly over the back of the counter.

5. An overshoe of the class described comprising a Waterproof sole and a iexible top of Water-resistant material, the edge of the top extending upwardly and rearwardly to provide a substantially pointed flap above the counter, a strapsecured to the rear part of the upper and defining the base of the fiap and elastic means reinforcing and stii'fening the upper edge of the upper and terminating adjacent the strap whereby the flap is supported but may be readily turned downwardly over the back of the counter.

Signed by me at Providence, VRhode Island, this fifth day of March, 1928.

EARLE H. COSTELLOW. 

